Palestinians tell PA to reject talks

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) has staged a rally to protest the resumption of direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Officials and supporters of the leftist Palestinian faction held a demonstration in Gaza City on Saturday to condemn the upcoming direct negotiations with Israel “in compliance with Israel and US preconditions,” the Ma’an news agency reported.

Addressing the crowd, senior DFLP leader Salih Zeidan reiterated his party’s opposition to the talks scheduled to begin on September 2 in Washington.

“Negotiations have no reference, nor an international framework, and they do not preserve the Palestinian people’s rights,” Zeidan stated and asked acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas to “avoid yielding” to US and Israeli pressure.

The demonstrators also called on the rival parties Hamas and Fatah to put aside their differences “which is the origin of all troubles,” in favor of Palestinian national interests.

The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority recently accepted a US invitation to participate in direct negotiations in Washington.

Many Palestinians denounced the decision, saying the PA was abandoning the struggle for Palestinian rights by agreeing to relaunch direct talks, which were broken off after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on the Gaza Strip.